Arrival Declaration

Travellers entering Hong Kong at entry points are required to declare to Customs officers the quantity of dutiable goods (liquor, tobacco, cigarette and cigar) which are in excess of the duty-free concessions.

Duty-free Concessions

Removal of Duty on Wine and Certain Alcoholic Liquor

With effect from 1100 hours on 27 February 2008, a passenger may bring in the following types of alcoholic liquor free of duty if the goods are imported in his baggage:

Revised Duty-free Concessions for Incoming Passengers

Consequential to the above changes, the duty-free concessions granted to a passenger are revised as follows:

To qualify for duty-free concessions, a passenger aged 18 or above is allowed to bring into Hong Kong the above goods free of duty for his/her own use. If the passenger holds a Hong Kong Identity Card, he must have spent 24 hours or longer outside Hong Kong.

Verification measure

To verify a passenger's eligibility for the duty-free concessions, Customs officers may require an incoming passenger to produce his/her Hong Kong Identity Card in order to verify whether he/she has spent 24 hours or longer outside Hong Kong.

Attention

An incoming passenger, who fails to declare or makes a false or incomplete declaration to a Customs officer on the quantity of dutiable goods in his/her possession which are in excess of the duty-free concessions, is liable to prosecution.


Prohibited/Controlled Items

Importation/exportation of dangerous drugs, psychotropic substances, controlled chemicals, antibiotics, arms, ammunition, fireworks, strategic commodities, rough diamonds, textiles, animals, plants, endangered species, telecommunication equipment, game, meat and poultry into or out of Hong Kong is governed by laws. Any import/export of these items must be accompanied by a valid licence or permit issued in advance by the relevant authorities, unless otherwise exempted by laws.

If any of these prohibited or controlled items are brought into/out of Hong Kong without a licence or permit, the traveller concerned may be liable to prosecution and the item will be seized and confiscated.

Travellers may be liable to prosecution if they bring into/out of Hong Kong any unauthorized decoder by means of which encrypted television programmes provided under a licence can be viewed in decoded form without payment of a subscription where a subscription is required to be paid.

Travellers are also advised that Customs detector dogs are deployed to patrol all entry/exit points.

Common prohibited/controlled items:

• Dangerous drugs and psychotropic substances

Opium, morphine, heroin, methadone, narcotic analgesics, cannabis, LSD, cocaine, ketamine, Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), amphetamine (e.g. methylamphetamine, ecstasy, phentermine (duromine)), benzodiazepine (e.g. chlordiazepoxide (librium), midazolam (dormicum), estazolam, flunitrazepam (rohypnol), triazolam, nimetazepam, diazepam (valium)), zopiclone, barbiturate (e.g. quinalbarbitone), methaqualone (mandrax), hallucinogen, depressant, stimulant or tranquillizer.
(See "Dangerous Drugs _ Controlled Imports", "Dangerous Drugs _ Controlled Exports")

• Controlled chemicals

Acetic anhydride, ephedrine, potassium permanganate and other controlled chemicals.
(See "Controlled Chemicals _ Controlled Imports", "Controlled chemicals _ Controlled Exports")

• Antibiotics

  Erythromycin, penicillin, tetracycline and other antibiotics.

• Arms, ammunition and weapons

  Travellers are liable to prosecution if they bring into/out of Hong Kong any firearm or ammunition without a valid licence. Unless otherwise exempted by laws, possession of an "imitation firearm" is also an offence.

  Travellers are liable to prosecution if they bring into/out of Hong Kong any "weapon" which includes Chinese-style throwing dart, gravity knife, gravity-operated steel baton, knuckleduster, Chinese-style fighting iron, spring-loaded steel baton, any knife the blade of which is exposed by a spring or other mechanical/electric device, and any bladed/pointed weapon.

  Note :

  "Arms" means any firearm, air rifle/air gun/air pistol from which any shot, bullet or missile can be discharged with a muzzle energy greater than two joules, electric stunning device, gun/pistol or other propelling/releasing instrument from or by which a projectile containing any gas or chemical could be discharged, weapon for the discharge of any noxious liquid/gas/powder, and harpoon or spear gun.
  (See "Explosives, Firearms and Ammunition _ Controlled Imports", "Explosives, Firearms and Ammunition _ Controlled Exports", "Weapons _ Controlled Imports", "Weapons _ Controlled Exports")

• Animals and plants

  Importation/exportation of animals, birds, reptiles, plants, pesticides, soil and plant pests into/out of Hong Kong must be accompanied by a valid permit or licence issued in advance by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation.

  Importation of animals for consumption must be accompanied by a valid health certificate issued by a competent veterinary authority in the country of its origin and an import permit issued by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation.

  Neither import licence nor certificate is required for the importation of cut flowers/vegetables/non-endangered plants produced in the mainland of China.

  A valid special permit issued by the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation is required for any transshipment of animals, birds or reptiles via Hong Kong.

  Importation of dogs or cats into Hong Kong is subject to quarantine restriction. Animals should be kept in baskets/cages/crates or appropriate containers throughout the conveyance. Relevant provisions under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap. 169) should also be observed.
  (See "Live Animals _ Controlled Imports", "Plants & Plant Pests _ Controlled Imports", "Pesticides _ Controlled Imports", "Pesticides _ Controlled Exports")

• Endangered species

  Unless otherwise exempted by laws, a licence must be obtained in advance for any import/export of endangered species (live or dead) or their parts/manufactured products into/out of Hong Kong, e.g. stuffed specimen, skin, horn, meat, medicine, tusk carving and ornament.

  Examples of endangered animals and plants are:

  Animals
  Monkeys, elephants, wild cats (tiger, leopard, lynx etc.), rhinos, bears, hippos, saiga antelopes, musk deers, pangolins, sea turtles, tortoises, crocodiles, monitor lizards, Asiatic bony tongues, eagles, owls, parrots, giant clams and corals.

  Plants
  Orchids, cacti, American ginseng, pitcher plants, Venus fly-trap, some air plants, gastrodia, dendrobium and agar wood.
  (See "Endangered Species _ Controlled Imports", "Endangered Species _ Controlled Exports")

• Game, meat, poultry and smokeless tobacco products

  It is an offence for a traveller to bring into Hong Kong any meat or poultry without a valid health certificate. A prior approval of the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene should also be obtained before any import of game (e.g. venison and masked palm civet) into Hong Kong. Importation of dog/cat meat and smokeless tobacco products is also prohibited.
  (See "Game, Meat and Poultry _ Controlled Imports", "Rice, Frozen or Chilled Meat and Poultry _ Controlled Imports")

• Fireworks and explosives

  Fireworks, firecrackers, toy pistol caps, party poppers, pyrotechnic substances and other explosives.
  (See "Explosives, Firearms and Ammunition _ Controlled Imports ", "Explosives, Firearms and Ammunition _ Controlled Exports ")

• Counterfeit goods and infringing articles

  Travellers may be liable to prosecution if they bring into/out of Hong Kong any counterfeit goods (e.g. watches, handbags and clothing) bearing forged trademarks/false trade descriptions, or infringing copies of copyright works (e.g. optical discs containing computer software, films, music or computer/video games).

• Telecommunication equipment

  Travellers may be liable to prosecution if they bring into/out of Hong Kong, for the purpose of trade or business, any apparatus or any component part of any apparatus for transmission by radio waves without a valid licence or permit (e.g. mobile telephone and radio transceiver).
  (See "Radio Transmitting Apparatus _ Controlled Imports", "Radio Transmitting Apparatus _ Controlled Exports")

• Strategic commodities

  Strategic commodities include munitions and a wide variety of goods that are capable of being used for both industrial and military purposes (e.g. chemicals, electronic components, computers, telecommunication equipment, and articles that are capable of being used in the development/production of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons).
  (See "Strategic Commodities _ Controlled Imports", "Strategic Commodities _ Controlled Exports")

The items listed above are by no means exhaustive. For further information, please contact:

Offering Advantage

To offer or attempt to offer any advantage, such as monetary reward, to a government official is an offence under the laws of Hong Kong.

Suggestions

Hong Kong Customs is committed to providing quality services to the public. If you feel that we have failed to meet the level of service you are entitled to expect, please contact the officer-in-charge on the spot or send in your views to the Departmental Complaints Officer:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do Customs officers conduct search on passengers and their baggage?

Being one of the law enforcing arms in Hong Kong, Customs officers are tasked with the duties to prevent and detect smuggling of contraband items such as narcotics, arms, ammunition, weapons, counterfeit and pirated goods, etc. In fulfilling the mission, we examine baggage of passengers at entry/exit points on a selective basis. Personal search may also be conducted on passengers as and when required.

2. On what basis do Customs officers select passengers for examination?

In order to ensure a smooth flow of passengers at entry/exit points, Hong Kong Customs adopts a risk management approach to select passengers for examination. In making the selection, we are mindful to avoid any inconvenience so caused to the passenger.